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Albert,
1)I’ve been reading the link you gave me, a preface to the wisdom of kabbalah. I’m a little confused. Do discernments of upper force come from the emanations of the Sefirot? The upper light arranges itself into Partzufim and there are five arrangements of the Serifot in each of the five Partzufim found in each Spiritual world. Is this correct?
2)I’m also a bit confused about Kli. Are Kli created because of desire, or are they created by light to be filled with light? Are there always kli waiting to be filled depending on which step of the ladder one is? How do Kelim come into existence from the will to receive? Not sure if I phrased that right.
Thanks,
Curtis
Hi Curtis,
1. The upper light never changes. We change, meaning our desires change, and accordingly we feel the light differently. It’s similar to how electricity is the same electricity but based on what appliance we plug in, we have different uses and results from it. Plug in a heater and you’ll produce warmth, plug in an AC and you’ll get cool air, etc. But the light itself never changes.
As for the arrangements, all that was created was a single desire to receive. This desire develops and is partitioned into worlds, partzufim, sefirot. There are 5 worlds in total, each world contains 5 partzufim, and each partzuf contains 5 sefirot. All in all this structure contains 125 degrees (5x5x5). We’ll learn about this structure in detail in the more advanced lessons.
2. The Kli is the desire. It’s used interchangeably. Kli (vessel) = desire to receive.
Albert @ KabU
Hello
I was wondering what kabbalists believer about the Messiah. I’m certain it’s different from the Christian belief.
Thanks
-CurtisHi Curtis,
In Kabbalah, the Messiah is not a person but a force. Messiah (Mashiach in Hebrew) comes from the verb “to pull” (Moshech in Hebrew). This is the force that has the ability “to pull” us out of our egoistic nature into the Creator’s nature of love and bestowal.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/what-do-they-expect-from-a-messiah/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Albert,
I didn’t realize KabU kindly provides the reading material. I am interested in learning, slow and steady.
1.) My first question is what is meant ego-ism. It’s not clear to me. The text seems to imply altruism is an antonym of ego-ism
2) Some of the videos mentioned we don’t have the senses to perceive the spiritual worlds or upper force. The reading, however, mentions “spiritual sensations”. What is meant by that? I understand there are degrees of attainment. Does each degree have a different “spiritual sensation”? My guess is a sense of the inner self perceives these “spiritual sensations”.
3) I’m confused about desires, kilum, and the will to receive. We all want pleasure. When the kli is fulfilled, we are left with more desire. We have the will to receive which creates more kilum. Is this right?
Hi Curtis, great questions!
1. Our nature is the desire to receive pleasure. It simply means that every calculation we make is to chase pleasure or avoid pain. This is similar to how any other animal functions. By itself, there is nothing wrong with this nature, it’s simply the program by which we function and preserve ourselves.
Egoism is when this program begins to be used in a way that harms others. Not only do I want to receive pleasure, but I want to receive it at the expense of others, at their detriment. This is the corporeal ego.
There is also a spiritual ego. Spiritual egoism is everything that stands in the way of our connection with the Creator. Normal people don’t have a spiritual ego. This is only something that we discover after doing some serious spiritual work.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/10/true-evil/
2. Spiritual perception works according to the law of equivalence of form. Meaning that in order to perceive spirituality, we need to become similar to it, to the qualities of love and bestowal that reside there. This is just like how a radio can pick up an external wave, when we tune the internal frequency of the radio to that wave.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: http://laitman.com/2013/04/everything-is-attained-by-the-equivalence-of-form/
And yes, each spiritual degree is felt differently. Just like in our world, the way a newborn perceives the world is different to how a five year old perceives it, and that is different to how a 25 year old perceives it, etc.
3. These terms are interchangeable. Sometimes they are translated from Hebrew as will to receive or sometimes as desire to receive. And sometimes they are called vessels (Kelim) of reception. So these terms can be used interchangeably. (Kli is Hebrew for vessel, Kelim is the plural form, vessels).
Albert @ KabU
Thanks Albert,
I appreciate the correction.
1) So, the spiritual ego receives light, which means a greater reception of pleasure. As you develop you receive pleasure it becomes a spiritual sensation through the spiritual ego according to the equivalence of form. Is my thinking clear according to Kabbalah?
3) Could you explain a bit more about the spiritual ego? You said it’s everything that stands in the way of connection to the creator. I am a bit confused. I think the psychological definition is different than the definition in Kabbalah. That would mean no form of egoism is good like vanity or pride.
2) Our nature in the world of outcomes is opposite to the world of causes. So, when you attain equivalence of form there is a similarity between these our nature and the creator’s in both worlds. Is this correct?
4) When there is an equivalence of form does that mean the above downward and below upwards move you into a different level or reception?
5) Is there material that outlines the degrees and their state of attainment?
Thanks
Curtis
Hi Curtis,
1. Yes, but keep in mind that spirituality is built upon greater and greater levels of bestowal. So if we just receive, we will not come into equivalence of form with it. But our nature is reception, so how can we ever bridge this gap? We can use our nature to receive with the intention to bestow. In that case, even if the action is one of reception, the intention converts it into an action of bestowal.
Check out the Guest & Host Analogy from Chapter 3 of Attaining the Worlds Beyond for more details.
3. Kabbalah indeed defines these things different than psychology and also different than religion or philosophy, etc. If we just stick to our preconceived notions of these matters, we will not understand Kabbalah at all.
2. Equivalence of form means that we correct our egoistic nature to operate in the direction of bestowal. As a result, we reach the state of complete adhesion between us and the Creator.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2019/04/the-purpose-of-creation/
4. Equivalence of form is a gradual process broken down into 125 degrees. To the extent that we become similar to spirituality, to that extent we reveal it in practice, degree by degree.
5. In the book Kabbalah for the Student, there’s an article called Foreword to the Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah (http://www.kabbalah.info/eng/content/view/full/64187) which lists these 125 steps in the language of sefirot/partzufim/olamot(worlds). For now, these are just technical terms for us, but in the future lessons we’ll dive deeper into these things and learn how to feel and experience them.
Albert @ KabU
Hello,
I meditate. I would like to understand it simply according to the material. I bought the reading materials for the course. I have to wait a few days to get the books. I’ve watched multiple videos. My first feeling about this concept is that it is a self-affirmation of reception based on how clear and strong the desire is.
I want to be sure I comprehend this really basic thing. That desire alone is enough to gain light and a sense of the spiritual world.
How would you describe the sense you gain from seeking abstract light? Is it the “sixth” sense? Is it a feeling of elation that you have received fulfillment?
Hi Curtis,
I’m sorry, I cannot answer your questions yet, we’re still as if speaking two different languages. I recommend that you go through a few of the lessons, get the course books and read through at least Kabbalah Revealed. Afterwards these things will become clearer to you and I’ll be able to further explain these concepts.
Albert @ KabU
What is Kabbalah’s definition of mysticism? I ask this because this lesson draws a distinction between mysticism and Kabbalist teachings. The denotation of the word, however, does not differ so greatly from what Kabbalah teaches.
Hi Sarah,
I’m not an expert in other methods, so I don’t know how others define this word. But when we use the word mysticism, we are referring to something mystical, something removed from reality, something that does not follow the laws of nature.
So when we make the distinction that Kabbalah is not mysticism, this is because Kabbalah is very much so grounded into nature. Kabbalah researches nature and the laws of nature using a very strict scientific method: “a judge has only what his eyes can see” and “what we do not attain we do not call by name”. Even our knowledge of the upper force, of the Creator, is limited to our research tools, meaning the desire. And whatever does not enter into this desire, we cannot research or talk about. For these reasons, it’s more accurate to classify Kabbalah as a science.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/06/kabbalah-without-a-trace-of-mysticism/
Albert @ KabU
Hello there! Thanks for the lesson and materials.
Concerning inner properties and intentions: This week, after making efforts to be more aware of my inner world, to better capture my emotional states and intentions as they arise, I noticed that over the years I have definitely developed some “tricky” inner mechanisms to avoid pain, to cope or escape, and immediately plot a course to pleasure. There are times I do want what is best for others, but I most definitely and powerfully desire what is best for myself. Yet, I also have strong desires to be less selfish and more altruistic. That led to a few initial questions. I hope I have expressed them in a clear manner. Thank you for your time.
1. What is the relationship between an emotion and an intention?
2. Is being aware of either rising within oneself similar to “feeling” them, or is awareness the same thing as feeling in this case?
3. Once you are aware or feel one or both, what can be done with them regarding the Light or surrounding Light?– Allen
Hi Allen, great questions!
Emotions are what we feel. The intention is the reason for our actions. Generally speaking, our intentions are concealed from us. Even if we seemingly have beautiful intentions to bestow, later on, we discover that it was all to serve our ego. But that’s fine. No one is expecting of us to be saints. In fact it’s impossible to do an action that’s not egoistic because egoism is our very nature. So in the best case scenario we can aspire towards bestowal, fail, and then discover a true need for the light to correct us.
In other words, it’s ultimately the light that performs all the changes and corrections on us. Our work is only to extract more and more of that light, especially during the Kabbalistic studies, and it does all the rest.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2013/02/sunbathing-in-the-rays-of-the-reforming-light/
Albert @ KabU
Thank you for the answers and article, Albert.
I relate to the “unknown longing” mentioned in the article. I should experience this as “okay” (not a bad thing) and will be encountering unknown longings again as I continue to practice, learn, and grow. . . . If you please, can you give some clarification to and correct my summary below? Thank you.
(1) Most of the time, I cannot or will not be able to know or identify my intentions clearly; however, I can still feel the desires that arise internally in any given situation.
(2) Then, I can begin to clarify those desires, which aid my overall understanding of myself in relation to the Creator: (As in, in what ways and how much am I similar to the Creator?);
(3) only the Light can reform my desires, and I should never retreat into an egoism that claims credit for any positive, internal changes within me, rather be inspired by the changes and seek more Light as well as better circumstances/environment to potentially receive “maximal Light.”
(4) Better understanding of my underlying intentions comes with the practice/process.
– Allen
Hi Allen,
Yes, you can say that. Just keep in mind that the Creator is concealed, so I cannot examine myself relative to Him. But what is revealed are other people. So I can examine if I’m aspiring towards the Creator’s qualities in my relation to other people, especially those on the spiritual path together with me. We’ll learn about this in the more advanced lessons.
Albert @ KabU
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